Approaching the church from the main gate, the eye is drawn to a fine early sixteenth century oak porch.The supporting brickwork dates from 1880, when a major restoration of the Church took place. It is
noticeable that the width of the Porch is narrower than that of the doorway it protects; several theories may account for this. Either the measurements made by
the carpenter were inaccurate, or that it was moved from some other location, where it had been used for a different purpose. Working on this supposition, it is possible that it may have once stood
over a lych gate, now long-disappeared. Such covered gateways were placed at the entrance to a churchyard where, during a funeral, the coffin and the mourners could await the arrival of the priest.
The word Lych, or Lich is of Anglo Saxon origin, and refers to a dead body.

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The early sixteenth century Porch﻿

The Porch may be regarded as the transition between the sacred space of the church and the secular world beyond its walls. At one
time, parts of the Marriage and Baptismal Services were held in the Porch. Some, porches, had a room built above them, known as a Parvis, which was often used for the instruction of
children. ﻿